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Northern Ireland has a significant renewable energy resource which urgently needs to be utilised to meet the Executive’s commitment to source 40% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

Northern Ireland has a significant renewable energy resource which, if harnessed appropriately, can contribute to addressing major social issues such as climate change, fuel poverty, energy security and rising energy costs. NIEL therefore endorses a move away from fossil fuel derived energy and instead supports the development of a low carbon economy based on substantially increasing investment in renewable energy infrastructure.

Since the beginning of this century there has been rapid growth in the use of land in Northern Ireland for renewable energy generation. Approximately 15% of Northern Ireland’s annual electricity is now supplied from indigenous renewable sources. However, considerable investment and cross–sectoral collaboration is required if Northern Ireland is to establish a truly low carbon economy
and fulfil the requirements of the Renewable Energy Directive and the targets included in the Northern Ireland Strategic Energy Framework (40% of electricity consumed from indigenous renewable sources by 2020).

Consumption of renewable and waste sources reached a record high of 14.4 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) in 2014, 7.1% of total energy consumption.

For the 12 month period from April 2015 to March 2016, 25.4% of total electricity consumption in Northern Ireland was generated from renewable sources located in Northern Ireland

In the year ended 31 March 2013, 10,002 homes benefited from the ‘Warm Homes Scheme’ grants, amounting to almost £14.7 million.

The percentage of homes with central heating has risen from 95% in 2001 to 99% in 2011. Gas has seen the largest increase in installations, increasing almost five fold from 2001 to 2011.

The potential annual value of the renewable market to Northern Ireland is estimated to be almost £2bn per annum by 2020.

The total installed wind farm capacity for 2013 was 531.4MW – enough to power 345,410 homes.

Gas central heating was most likely to be used as the sole means of central heating by households in the Greater Belfast area.

Households in Northern Ireland are very dependent on oil for central heating. Oil is used by 62 per cent of households as the sole means of central heating, while gas is used by only 17 per cent of households.

The percentage of homes with central heating has risen from 95% in 2001 to 99% in 2011. Gas has seen the largest increase in installations, increasing almost five fold from 2001 to 2011.

Northern Ireland has significant offshore renewable energy resources. The development of these resources will not only contribute to the Strategic Energy Framework goal of 40% renewable electricity by 2020, but will increase security of supply and offer significant potential for job creation.

In the period 1st April 2011 to 31st July 2012, the UK as a whole saw £6.9bn investment in renewable energy and 20,848 green jobs.

From 1st April 2011 to 31st July 2012 (latest data available), Northern Ireland saw £230m investment in renewable energy and the creation of 887 green jobs.

The low carbon subsectors account for 39% of total green employment; the renewable energy subsectors account for 38% of total green employment and the environmental sector accounts for 25% of total green employment.

Northern Ireland renewable electricity target is 40% by 2020 and a 4% renewable heat by 2015.

The targets the EU has set for Member States include a minimum cut of 20% in GHGs by 2020, with the U.K. setting itself the aim of achieving an 80% cut from 1990 levels by 2050.

NIE estimates that around £1 billion of grid investment is likely to be required to support a target of 40% renewable electricity.

In total, Northern Ireland currently spends £2.3 billion annually on energy – 99% of that energy comes from imported fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas.

The current heat demand in Northern Ireland has been estimated at 17.4 TWh, of which around 300 GWh, or 1.7%, is met from renewable sources.

The Northern Ireland low–carbon and environmental sector employed 31,714 in 2010/11, equivalent to 3% of total UK employment in the sector. Between 2009/10 and 2010/11 the sector saw a 2.8% increase in employment.

The low–carbon subsectors account for 39% of total green employment; the renewable energy subsectors account for 38% of total green employment and the environmental sector accounts for 25% of total green employment.

The Carbon Trust estimate the creation of between 8,470 and 33,124 jobs from renewable energy by 2020, should targets for renewable energy be met.

From 1st April 2011 to 31st July 2012 Northern Ireland saw £230m investment in renewable energy and the creation of 887 green jobs.

In the period 1st April 2011 to 31st July 2012, the UK as a whole saw £6.9bn investment in renewable energy and 20,848 green jobs.

3426 planning applications for renewable energy proposals have been received for the period 2002/12.

The number of R.E. applications received in 2002/03 stood at 31. Since then there has been an almost 27–fold increase to 822 applications received in 2011/12, the highest annual figure recorded over the period.

Of the 687 R.E. decisions that were made in 2012/2013 (to end–Feb) 89% were approved.

Omagh Local Government District (LGD) had the highest number of R.E. applications in 2012/13 with 100, closely followed by Fermanagh LGD with 91. These two LGDs, taken together, account for over one–quarter (27%) of all NI R.E. applications in that year.